A man in his 50s died Aug. 5 when he lost control of the car he was driving and collided with a tree on East Lake Boulevard at Yankee Valley Boulevard, according to Airdrie RCMP.
“Speed is believed to be a factor,” Constable Matt Gervais said. “Alcohol is being considered as a factor. We won’t know until the medical examiner has (completed the investigation).”
The collision occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m. According to EMS Spokesman Adam Loria, the man was pronounced dead at the scene by responding paramedics.
Gervais said the man was driving a black Corvette eastbound on Yankee Valley Boulevard and attempted to turn northbound onto East Lake Boulevard. He failed to negotiate the turn and collided with a tree.
According to Loria, there was significant damage to the vehicle. The man was the lone occupant of the vehicle and no one else was injured during the collision.
Gervais said the way the vehicle hit the tree on the driver’s door likely resulted in the fatal nature of the collision.
The northbound lane of East Lake Boulevard was reduced to one lane while emergency crews responded to the scene and conducted the investigation. Gervais said traffic was impacted for approximately two hours.
Gervais said RCMP would not be releasing the name of the man.
According to statistics available on the Province of Alberta’s website, speed was a contributing factor in collisions resulting in 451 deaths and 11,753 injuries between 2010 and 2014. An average of 1,165 convictions each year for speeding more than 50 kilometres per hour over the speed limit are made in Alberta.
Impaired driving was cited as the contributing factor in the deaths of 444 people and injuries to 6,649 people in collisions from 2009 to 2013.
